Recent Essays

Alex Goldberg wonders if it's possible for a playwright to be wrong about an aspect of his or her own play, and describes a fraught production process.

Playwright Melinda Lopez shares her experience buying tickets to see Hamilton, and addresses the cost of watching a Broadway show versus the cost of caring for her mother.

Marcina Zaccaria speaks with Fiddler on the Roof lyricist Sheldon Harnick as he approaches his ninety-second birthday.

Physician and playwright Madeline Leong about writing a play for doctors to be performed at a hospital.

Brent Eickhoff discusses the challenges of programming large theatre productions with youth, advocating clear, realistic goals for teaching artists, students, and parents. 

Playwright Natalie Sacks shares her post-graduate experience of working various theatre jobs, her take on the “starving artist” model, and her journey to writing her first play since college.

Anchuli Felicia King on the Second Stage production of Lydia R. Diamond’s Smart People in New York.

Kate Langsdorf’s series continues with this description of her time as a teaching artist.

Playwright Donna Hoke writes about an opportunity that allowed her to develop a new play on its feet in advance of a world premiere.

Playwright Emily Dendinger and producer Jess Hutchinson shine a little light on the play submission process.